A QSR is a specific type of restaurant characterized both by its fast food cuisine and minimal formal table service. Examples of different variations on the QSR concept include fast food restaurants (e.g., McDonalds, Wendy's and Burger King), fast casual restaurants (e.g., Chipotle, Panera Bread and Cosi), food trucks, food carts and any restaurant that offers take out service (e.g., Applebee's, Chili's and Outback Steakhouse).
To make quick service possible while ensuring accuracy and security, many QSRs have incorporated POS systems. POS systems are computerized systems typically incorporating registers, computers and peripheral equipment, usually operated on a computer network, to keep track of orders/sales and generate records used in accounting and bookkeeping.
POS systems have revolutionized the restaurant industry, particularly in the QSR sector. In most POS systems, orders and payments are submitted via registers. Registers are computers, sometimes with touch screens. The registers operate with a computer network which connects to a primary server, often referred to as a “store controller” or a “central control unit”. Printers and monitors can also be placed on the store network to assist in the preparation and assembly of the relevant food and/or beverage products. For the purpose of this disclosure beverages are to be considered food products.
In the QSR industry, registers may be at the front counter, or configured for drive-through or walk-through cashiering and order taking. This makes it possible for a kitchen crew to view orders placed at a front counter or drive through display in real time and accordingly prepare and assemble the relevant food and/or beverage product requested. Front counter registers allow taking and serving orders at the same terminal, while drive-through registers allow orders to be taken at one or more drive-through windows and cashiered or served at another. In addition to registers, the POS system permits drive-through and kitchen monitors to display orders to assist store staff in the preparation and assembly of customer orders.
Typically, once an order is placed by the customer at a register, the order appears on the kitchen monitor for preparation and assembly. When the food and/or beverage product is assembled it is delivered to the customer and the relevant order may be stored, deleted or recalled by a touch interface or a bump bar. Drive-through systems operate in a similar fashion, but may be enhanced by the use of wireless (or headset) intercoms to assist the customer in conveying their order to the register.
Such systems provide decreased service times and increased efficiency of orders in the QSR industry. However, in the QSR setting, customer places the order upon arrival at the restaurant, and as a result must wait while the food and/or beverage product is prepared.
In an attempt to minimize the customer wait, QSRs typically precook, premix or prefreeze certain components of the food and/or beverage product and store those components in warmers. However, the time that the components spend in the warmers negatively impacts the palatability of the components. Consequently, the customer will experience a discernible less-than-appealing texture and taste of the food and/or beverage product. The QSRs will also suffer food waste as the components cannot be kept in the warmers indefinitely because as food sits out bacteria forms. The longer food sits out the more bacteria forms on the food eventually requiring disposal of components. Human error can sometimes result in such bacteria infested food being served; leading to food-borne illnesses.
To address such issues, QSRs have started to permit third party servers to connect to store networks to place orders remotely from the retail location. This permits customers to use their computer or mobile device as a register to place their orders with the QSR prior to arriving at the retail location. Upon submission, the customer's order is conveyed to the QSR's kitchen monitor for assembly. The customer then proceeds to the QSR to retrieve their order. However, the current system is not intelligent beyond that single time input. Therefore, if a customer is running late or arriving early, present systems have no way of adjusting.
Furthermore, just as the QSR lacks knowledge of when a customer will arrive, the customer lacks knowledge of the specific time their order will be ready. As a result, even if the customer places the order for a specific pickup time the customer will typically arrive before or after their food and/or beverage product order is prepared. If the customer arrives before their order is assembled, they must wait. Conversely, if the customer arrives after their order is assembled the food and/or beverage product may have cooled and the taste and/or texture will suffer, negatively impacting the customer's experience.
Furthermore, the below invention can also be utilized by a casual dining restaurant (e.g., Cheesecake Factory®) to increase: (1) service efficiencies, (2) table utilization and (3) the customer experience. The casual dining restaurant can use the invention to monitor a customer's progress so that as soon as the customer arrives they are seated and their food and/or beverage order is brought to them within a short time.
As a result, there is a need to bridge the gap between the customer's private knowledge of their current location and speed at which they are approaching the QSR/Restaurant and the QSR/Restaurant's private knowledge of the time it takes to prepare and assemble the customer's order to deliver dynamic preparation, packaging for just-in-time (JIT) delivery of the customer's order upon the customer's arrival at the retail location.
Illustrative and alternative embodiments of a computer-based system for bridging the gap between the customer's private knowledge of their current location and speed at which they are approaching the QSR/Restaurant and the QSR/Restaurant's private knowledge of the time it takes to prepare and assemble the customer's order are described in detail with reference being made to the figures of this application.
The system comprises a computer processor, a storage device for storing data, a real-time positioning system device, a display, a customer file, and a food product order file. The customer enters their food and/or beverage product order, selected from menus contained on the storage device, which is accessed by the processor and transmitted to the display. Once selected, the food and/or beverage product order is transmitted to the processor, which records the order in the food product order file, and transmits it to the retail location. Concurrently, the customer file, which can be the same file as the food order file, records the physical location of the customer with the assistance of the real-time location system and transmits that data at set intervals or continuously to the processor. The processor accesses the storage device to determine the time the customer's order will take to prepare. From the location data, the processor determines and continuously monitors and updates a customer's estimated time of arrival at the retail location. When the processor determines that the estimated order preparation time is the same as the customer's estimated time of arrival, within a certain degree of tolerance, the processor transmits an alert to the retail location to commence preparation and packaging of the customer's order to accomplish JIT delivery of the order.
The method and non-transitory computer readable medium integrated within the system is comprised of first determining the location of an individual with a real-time location system. Next, accessing the storage medium to determine relevant retail locations and presenting the individual with menus containing food and/or beverage products available at the retail location on the display. The individual can request or preselect alternate retail locations and/or food and/or beverage products based on specific preferences. The individual interfaces with the display to place an order which is transmitted to the processor. The processor stores the order in the food order file and conveys the order to the retail location. Using the real-time location system to identify the individual's starting location and the speed at which the individual is approaching the retail location, the processor determines the individual estimated time of arrival (“ETA”) at the retail location. The processor determines the time the order will take to prepare and package. From the speed at which the individual is approaching the retail location and the time the order will take to prepare, the processor identifies a distance, from the retail location, that the individual will traverse in the time the order will take to prepare (i.e., proximity threshold). The proximity threshold is not static and the processor continues to update it at set intervals or continuously via the continued monitoring of the individual's physical location. When the individual crosses the proximity threshold, the retail location is alerted to commence preparation of and accept payment for the order. The retail location is also alerted when the individual arrives. Finally, delivery of the order is confirmed.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims.